Duranbah Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, let’s have a look at what’s in store for the next couple of weeks at Duranbah. It’s a river mouth setup, fairly exposed to the swell, and the water temp is sitting about average for the time of year, which is always nice.

We’ve got a big, solid start to the forecast, but honestly, it’s a bit of a wild one. Saturday the 18th of July, the swell is pumping in from the SSE at 12 ft to 15 ft with a period of 9 to 10 seconds. That’s a lot of energy (1684 to 3772) and way too big for a comfortable session here. The wind is a fresh cross-off from the S at 22 mph, so it’s clean, but this is strictly for the experts, and only if they’re feeling brave. The swell is just too big for a good time.

Sunday the 19th and Monday the 20th are a write-off. The wind swings cross-shore, the swell stays huge (12 ft to 15 ft), and the surf quality is poor. You’re looking at a messy cross-chop with strong breezes. Not worth paddling out.

The swell starts to drop from Tuesday the 21st, but we’re still in marginal territory. 8 ft to 7 ft SSE to E swell, cross winds, and the energy is dropping (down to 754). The conditions are ordinary, and the waves aren’t offering much.

Wednesday the 22nd of July is the first real glimmer of hope. The morning sees the swell drop to 5 ft from the E at 9 seconds, with a light cross-off breeze from the S at just 3 mph. The energy is moderate (376), and the report says “expect good surf conditions.” It’s clean, and the swell is manageable for intermediate surfers. This is the best bet in the early part of the week.

Thursday the 23rd is a step down, with 4 ft E swell and light winds, but the conditions are ordinary. Friday the 24th is another no-go, with a short period 5 ft SSE swell and moderate cross-off breeze, but the quality is poor.

From Saturday the 25th of July, we go into a long, quiet spell. The swell drops to under 3 ft, and the winds are light and variable. The energy is weak (down to 103 or less). It’s pretty flat for paddle surfing, and the conditions are not great. This quiet period stretches all the way through to the end of the month. There are a few glassy moments on the 27th, 28th, and 31st, but the swell is tiny (0.3 ft to 2 ft) and the energy is negligible. It’s more of a board-shorts-and-sunshine kind of time than a surf.

The best standout in the whole window is the morning of Wednesday the 22nd of July. It’s the only time the swell is reasonable, the wind is clean, and the surf is described as good. The rest of the period is either too big, too messy, or too small.

If you’re looking for something to do, the river mouth setup with that big swell and strong cross-off winds on the 18th and 19th might actually be more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer, just to keep in mind.

Rusty.

Read more